Fodor's Expert Review Dalvay-by-the-Sea

Built in 1895 as the summer retreat for a U.S. oil tycoon, this sprawling Queen Anne Revival "cottage" on the east edge of Prince Edward Island National Park is filled with antique furnishings, giving guest rooms a lovely period look. The nearby three-bedroom guesthouses (added in the 1990s) are more countrified. After enjoying beach time and free on-site activities like paddleboating, kayaking, tennis, and croquet, you can sip a cocktail or "take tea" on the pretty porch. Dinner is served nightly in the well-regarded MacMillan Dining Room. Dalvay prides itself on providing royal treatment, too: it hosted Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge when they visited PEI on their first official trip together in the summer of 2011.